I'm really trying to just live in the now. We know tomorrow isn't guaranteed. And, I want my kids to look back on their childhood and have a mixture of memories filled with laughter, discipline, structure, and FUN.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”
Psalm 127:3-5 ESV
I want my kids to feel like they are a blessing to me.
Every. Single. Day.
Sometimes thankfulness gets lost in all of the chaos, activities and everyday shenanigans.
I'm claiming my joy today.
Too many times lately I've had to regroup myself and dig back in the Word to find my joy...
Parenting small children is so exhausting. However, this is the most important structuring time in their little lives!! We are laying foundations in their little souls that they will NEVER forget. God has made a promise to us as parents...
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 ESV
That doesn't mean, like little and big sheep, that they won't ever stray. But, it means the foundation you are laying is making an impression on them FOREVER.
Make it a glorious, God serving, exciting, loving, foundation.
My soul is in desperation for so many people who plant degrading and demoralizing foundations in their children day after day.
Words are powerful.
Every word we speak to our children trickles down to somewhere in their soul and stays. And it starts to make a footprint of who they will turn out to be...
Are you making your child's footprint one that is glorifying to God and building self esteem?
Children need to feel loved. They need boundaries. They need structure. They THRIVE on consistency.
We run a tight ship in our home. But we also run a ship driven by God. And His ways are always loving and just.
Children are a gift.
Children are not a burden.
When you feel overwhelmed and ready to explode, dig in The Word.
Before you or I say that unkind thing to our kid...
PAUSE.
PRAY.
SPEAK.
When your toddler pees his pants for the 124 time in one day...
Pause.
Pray.
Speak.
When you are so tired you can't hardly sit upright and your kids want to climb all over your lap and fight while they are jockeying for position...
Pause.
Pray.
Speak.
Our kids LOVE us. Like, really really love us. And I was reading another blog post that said, 'we will never be this loved again by our children'. And in a certain way, I agree. They really really really think we are amazing. Because of this, we need to be living our lives in a way that is worth repeating.
Would you want your kids to live their lives and raise their kids the way you have parented them?
I'm sure there are many instances where I can say no to this, myself! But I pray that in the grand scheme of it all, when my kids look back on their childhood they say, 'you know, my parents weren't perfect but they certainly laid a foundation worth following.'
These little, amazing kids are mine!! God sent them specifically to me for a purpose, and I pray every day that I help them discover Whose they really are...
